Abuja has 15 public secondary hospitals but they are now insufficient as the Nigerian capital's population has more than doubled.
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The doctors needed his consent for a major medical procedure. However, Mr Ugochukwu could not make the 44-kilometre journey to the hospital because he had no means of transporting himself there that night. Also, security challenges in the Federal Capital Territory make such a journey risky, even if he had a private vehicle.
“I did not enjoy the service at the AMAC hospital, even Kuje. Despite the availability of doctors, I did not enjoy the service. The way they treated people, I did not like it. Later, one doctor advised us to go to Gwagwalada.” The population growth rate and rapid urbanisation demand considerable investments in infrastructure like healthcare facilities, roads, schools, and other essential services.
An infography showing the disparity in budget allocation among general hospitals In the Federal Capital Territory . “Lugbe was initially not in the configuration of the city, it was just an extension of the satellite towns but then around 2007 or so the FCT Administration saw the need to include Lugbe as part of the city hence it is now in Phase 5,” Mukhtar Galadima, an official of the FCT Development Control Department wrote in anIn the past four years, the budget of the FCT has grown at a fast rate. In 2021, the entire budget of the FCT was N329 billion.
This is a pattern in the administration of the FCT, where resources are concentrated at the city centre and other parts of the territory are neglected. Isaac Akerele, a medical doctor who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES in a phone interview, said the distortion of the city’s master plan created the crisis. He argued that had the plan been followed, a proper hospital would have been provided along the airport road to expand access and address the population growth in the area.
Garki General Hospital and Federal Medical Centre in Abuja run on the PPP option suggested by Mr Akerele. However, many residents consider services at the two hospitals expensive.This uneven distribution of resources is also putting pressure on the Asokoro, Maitama, and Wuse District Hospitals. When PREMIUM TIMES visited the district hospital in Wuse, the reporter observed crowds of patients. Those interviewed lamented that they spend long hours before they see doctors.
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